Black Mirror is a great show, make no mistake. It’s engrossing; you can’t take your eyes from it. The quality of production is top-notch, and the stories show how technology often takes our flaws, obsessions or inhumane qualities one step further. So each episode tends to be extremely depressing. Ergo, it is not for me.

Strange Days image via Amazon.

I need a bit of light in things that I watch. One of my favorite movies is Strange Days from 1995, which is not a happy movie in general. It takes place in a brutal 1999 where a technology allows people to get high on other people’s experiences. Since you feel everything yourself, it has turned into the most addictive drug. And it’s illegal. Disenchanted ex cop Lenny (Ralph Fiennes) makes a living selling these tapes, and people either go for the overly violent or sexual. He is obsessed with his ex girlfriend, hooker Faith (Juliette Lewis), and his only friend is Mace (Angela Bassett), who is a kickass limo driver that often has to save his sorry ass from trouble. With a Los Angeles that is out of control and a serial killer on the loose who is making his victims watch their own killing, it is a dark movie. But it is also a lot of fun, and there is love, action, hope and friendship. And friendship and love win. I can’t recommend the movie enough. I’ve seen it more times than I can count, and I’m looking forward to seeing it again.

The Broken Circle Breakdown. Image via youtube.

One of my least favorite movies is The Broken Circle Breakdown. A friend of mine fell in love with this movie, and even though I loved some parts of it, it depressed me so badly, I was swearing at the writers at some point. I’m not saying the movie isn’t good. It’s just so emotionally raw that you feel like you have a big hole in your soul, just like the characters do. And I don’t like to feel depressed. I suffered from depression, my dear readers, and I’m not good with characters who don’t try to deal with it. And by deal with it, I mean actual therapy! You can’t just fix yourself after losing your child! And these are freaking musicians from a well-developed country. I’m pretty sure they could have found the means from their government (Belgian!) OK, I’m calm, now. J

They destroy each other with their pain. They grow distant instead of supporting each other. Go ahead and watch the movie, and let me know if you left the movie with joy.

Surprise, surprise, I hate unhappy endings. Sure, you might say, your favorite movie Braveheart has the protagonist dying after being betrayed by his closest ally. Yeah, but he also impregnated a princess that seemed determined to take over the kingdom and that betraying ally decided to win the war in his honor. So sure, he died, but nothing he did was in vain. And while he was alive, what a life that was!

Mel Gibson in The Man without a Face. Not the movie poster, but you needed to see the face. Image via movie-rouletteç

The Man without a Face showed McCloud (Mel Gibson), whose face is so badly burned that he is referred as a freak, being excluded, judged and blamed, but he turned Norstadt (Nick Stahl) into an achiever. He gave him a father figure. He gave him an excellent mentor, teacher and best friend. And the end? The end is at the very least semi-happy.

Brandon Lee as Eric Draven, The Crow. Image via movieweb.

The Crow has Draven (Brandon Lee) take his revenge, make peace with Sarah, die happily to be with his dead love of his life forever. Happy! He was already dead when the movie began, so I wasn’t exactly sad when he went back to his grave.

My point? Don’t give me a love story where the couple loses a kid, and one of them dies. Thank you!

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Maybe this is why I tend to write romantic comedies and dramas. This is why I rarely kill off a character. There have been no villains in my stories so far. Maybe jackasses and assholes, but that’s about it.

I’ve killed two characters in a total of five screenplays (three finished, two in the works): One was dead practically before the story began; his death was the catalyst for three characters’ actions, and the other was a supporting character whose death, while tragic, was necessary for one character’ growth. And while my characters go through a lot dealing with these deaths, it doesn’t define them. It doesn’t take my story into a direction so bleak that my viewer/reader will get depressed alongside them. Feel sad? Yes. Desolate? No.

It would probably come as no surprise to you that I love reading John Grisham and Lee Child. The main character almost always lives. They might not always get a happy ending, but the stories give me enough adrenaline and serotonin that I don’t mind (a lot).

I’m not saying I won’t ever kill off many characters. I’m not saying I won’t ever write a thriller or action movie. I’ve been dreaming of finding brilliant thriller premises ever since I was a kid. But I haven’t found the right idea. Yet.

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Here’s the thing: Life is full of pain, death and destruction. It is also filled with love, happiness and hope. I don’t need to be reminded of the first that often. News, politics and our own lives provide enough of that. On the other hand, I don’t mind overdosing on the positive stuff.

Representative. This laptop looks a lot sexier than I do at the moment.

I ended 2016 on an ambitious note, determined to be healthier and more productive than ever. The first 10 days, however, had other ideas. OK, the first few were okay. But the remaining 5…Ouch. Shudder.

I caught a stomach bug. I didn’t think it was a bug until I learned the hospitals were filled with people with fever throwing up. I almost had a fever on my first night with some shivering, but “luckily,” it just turned into a “manageable” nausea.

By manageable, I mean I didn’t need to go to the hospital and could maintain things inside. However, my awesome diet consists of tea, toasted bread with no oil or butter, non-salty white cheese, plain yoghurt, mashed potatoes, chicken breast and……Water. That’s it. I forgot what coffee smells like, and I’m in pain.

I also lost a tooth, and now I can no longer delay a dentist’s visit. (I’d been putting one off for far too long.) I also have a cold sore. Might be because I’m pissed my Internet connection is so slow that this post took me three days to get online. I’m not kidding. I’ve been all snowed up inside. Oh, the joy.

Naturally, my productivity jumped out of a plane without a parachute; I wasn’t even able to sit straight for the first couple of days.

With this kind of eating you would think I’d lose a little weight, but since I can’t move much, I haven’t.

I’m currently beta-reading a friend’s novel, and completed a proofreading job on a screenplay. I kept up with blog posts and my email, and followed-up on previous pitches.

However, I’m good at finding great binge-watching cures for myself during times of ill health; this is how I had discovered Supernatural (aff.link). (A show I whole-heartedly recommend until season 6. I totally advise you to stay away from 7, and 8 is also good. Then I couldn’t get into it again.)

Image via CBS.

This time my savior was Zoo, a sci-fi/adventure/drama that is way better than its rating (of 7) and even the engaging trailer. The pilot starts beautifully. And the rest is fast, addictive, emotional, thought-provoking, action-packed, and all suspense all the way. It stars James Wolk, Billy Burke, Kristen Connolly, Nora Arnezeder and Nonso Anozie.

I won’t go into much detail, but just to get you also hooked, here’s the premise of Zoo in a nutshell:

When animals all around the world start attacking people out of nowhere, a group of five people (two animal experts, a veterinary pathologist, a journalist and a French intelligence officer) come together to find a cure so that they can save both the animals and the mankind. Along the way, they realize they have more enemies than just the increasingly violent and unpredictable animals, and they can only rely each other for survival, and well, saving humanity.

Oh, and of course there is a very curious writer character. (The journalist/blogger.)

Also watched: (The common themes are suspense and Billy Burke; I have loved him since Revolution.)

Movie

Untraceable starring Diane Lane, Colin Hanks and Billy Burke: FBI’s best cyber crime agents try to stop a serial killer who makes sure his victims die faster as more people log on and watch his victims get murdered online. It’s a decent thriller/mystery whose flaws only come from the stupid actions of several characters. In their defense, it’s not more than your typical slasher.

Rewatched:

Fracture starring Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, Rosamund Pike and Billy Burke: Fracture is a damn solid thriller/mystery where a brilliant, rich businessman (Anthony Hopkins) murders his wife, and arranges it so that he shoots her with the weapon of her lover, the hostage negotiator (Billy Burke) who arrives first on the scene. It’s up to the ambitious young ADA (Ryan Gosling) to find the truth, and it seems like the businessman is more insanely smart than insane.

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I’m luckily working at a desk again. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to have coffee for a couple more days. Wish me luck, full health, and patience.

On the bright side, I now know my sleeping problems have nothing to do with coffee.

As I’m writing this post, it is 3.45 pm, and it’s snowing heavily outside. Power is out for the second time, and I’m just glad we live on the sixth floor of a seven-storey apartment. (My intolerance of heights disappears when there are floods everywhere, and I’m just glad we are safe, warm and dry.)

2016 has been a weird year, to say the least. I’ve had personal and professional ups and downs, as well as financial ones. I’m not going to talk about what a terrible year it has been on a global scale. We all know what happened. News and social media feeds and friends’ updates, and even our favorite cartoons, constantly reminded us that the world had become even more dangerous than many of us knew.

Best of 2016 for This Writer

Let’s not mock anyone who feels 2016 has been the worst year ever. If they live in a country where terrorism attacks have increased, it might truly be the worst year ever.

Travel, travel, travel. I haven’t been aboard since 2015, and I’m itching.

Pitch, pitch, pitch! This goes for both fiction and non-fiction. Gina Horkey’s 90 Day Pitching Challenge was an awesome prompt in the right direction, but I still have some organizing to do. I haven’t been able to keep up with the 10 pitches-a-day goal. I fully plan to this year.

Eat more healthily. If I can’t eat perfectly healthily, I will at least add healthy stuff to make the relatively less healthy better. For instance, to keep my blood sugar level in check, I’ll have some nuts with your dark chocolate. Advice borrowed from one of my country’s top nutritionists.

How Not To Pitch An Editor: Be Vague and Impatient. Pitching is our bread and butter. Whether you’re looking to guest post, apply for a staff writing job or pitching ideas, you need to know your pitching etiquette. I offer two of the most important things to avoid with real life examples.

The café this post was written at. Özsüt, in Akasya shopping mall, Istanbul.

Sitcoms of the 80s and 90s depicted shopping malls as teenagers’ haven. No reason it can’t be one of your offices.

Look, I know a shopping mall isn’t the epitome of health. Yes, a walk in the woods or going to a coffee shop with a sea view is better. But sometimes you need the change, size and the warmth.

If you are already healthy and can stand the harsh winter weather, please, by all means, walk outside every day. As much as you can. Even if it is just to and back from your favorite coffee shop.

But:

What if you sweat so much that by the time you get to the coffee house, even if it is just 15 minutes from your house, you look like you fell into a lake? Including and especially your hair? There is no possible way you can conveniently carry extra clothes, underwear, and hair-dryer along with your laptop and other freelancing essentials. Not unless you have the shoulder strength of a veteran backpacker. I don’t. And oh, one change of clothes doesn’t take my sweat away.

You might think the sweating is because I’m fat, but I’m not. While unfortunately I have extra weight I’m trying to lose, calling me fat would be scientifically incorrect. Picture below for scale.

Me, December 2016. Birthday Mojito.

Okay. So you, for one reason or another, you can’t walk to favorite coffee shop every day. You don’t live in a mansion, and you don’t have a treadmill desk (aff. link). You don’t have a gym membership. How are you going to get your exercise?

That’s where shopping malls come in.

I live in a city where malls are ubiquitous. They come with a selection of restaurants, coffee shops and all kinds of stores. And with so many malls to choose from, there are ones that aren’t too crowded and too expensive.

Here’s how to make the most of that mall:

Set your timer. We all stay focused for different lengths. If the Pomodoro technique of working for 25-minute periods with 5 minute breaks (and then a 20-25 minute break at the end of 4-5 periods) gets your productivity going, great. If not, find out your sweet spot. But for the love of gods of productivity and sanity, don’t stay glued to your computer for hours on end.

Yes, I’m guilty of this. I suppose most writers are. It comes back to bite me in the form of extra pounds and nerve entrapment. So I’m writing this to remind you and myself.

It’s perfectly fine not to distract yourself in the middle of a productivity burst. But we all know they don’t always happen. So take regular breaks.

What has got this to do with the mall, you ask?

Take a short walk during your break. I don’t know how shopping malls work in your country, but in mine, most shopping mall cafés don’t have bathrooms of their own. So you have to take like at least 500 steps just for a bathroom break. 2 bathroom breaks, you already got your first 1000.

Now, obviously it is better if you walk continuously at a certain speed. But 500 every time you need to pee, and if you have a regular-sized bladder and keep yourself hydrated enough, it is still a lot more than the bathroom-going exercise in your house.

Take a longer walk during your longer break. Explore the stores. The bigger the mall, the better. If you actually try stuff on, the more calories gone. Sure, it is not sports. But it is better than staring at your TV or just doing the dishes. And never underestimate how many calories can be spent during shopping. One summer, my main method of exercise was shopping, and I lost like 18 pounds (about 8kgs.) Of course, I live in Istanbul, a shopping heaven. Never underestimate the power of your legs.

What about my stuff?

Unless I personally know the staff, I just take all valuable items with me: desktop, money, phone. I have MacBook Air (aff.link), so leaving everything else still makes me light as rain. No one steals your coat. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to tell the staff you are coming back.

But no one thinks you are a runner when you leave behind a table full of stuff. It might not fly everywhere, but it has worked for me so far. And there are almost always other friendly people who will watch your stuff. No one minds having the responsibility of watching your coat and some stationery.

Alternatively, you can use a co-working space; some malls have them. Or you can rent lockers at a little cost.

Go outside, even if it is just the parking lot. You obviously need natural light and fresh air. So go get it. You are already dressed; you won’t get lazy.

Walk back home. Or take a longer method of transportation. As long as it is safe and doable, try walking back.

Take the escalators, and walk on them. (Unless you have a problem with your knees and the doctors told you to avoid them.)

Always take the longer route. Go to the further escalator, further bathroom. Stride along the largest stores.

Choose a café or restaurant with healthy options. I get that eating healthily generally costs a lot more. But unless it is Burger King, there is something healthy (or healthy-ish), affordable, tasty and fulfilling on the menu. Order that.

A couple of customized tips for those with a sensitive stomach:

I have gastritis, so I feel your pain. I have to take medication every day and limit my consumption of coffee to two mugs. Eating outside is always risky. What you can do to reduce the risk of food poisoning, indigestion and nausea:

– Order plain Greek yoghurt alongside whatever you are having. If you are in Turkey or at a Turkish restaurant, order Ayran (a traditional soft drink made with yoghurt, salt and water.) It greatly reduces the risk of nausea and or food poisoning. It is also great for your immune system.

– Ask for extra lemons for your salad. Lemon that stuff up! And I don’t mean lemon juice or sauce. I mean actual lemon slices. Not everyone washes salad ingredients so well. With the amount of chemical products we use on plants, you can’t be too careful. Also, it is extra vitamin C. Don’t you love killing multiple birds with one stone?

– Order hot, plain black tea with your meal and drink it with lemon. Also reduces risk of nausea, indigestion or food-poisoning.

– If you can’t or won’t do any of the above, add lemon to your water. It is healthier, better for your metabolism and again, protects your precious stomach. You are welcome. 🙂

Obviously, don’t ignore the health of your wallet. I recommend choosing a mall with a range of stores, affordable to are you freaking kidding me? In case you need to do some shopping, get that chore done, without killing your budget.

Enjoy other people. You don’t have to mingle with them, but even being alone in a crowd lightens the unbearable heaviness of working alone. And if you are at a co-working space, you can meet other freelancers.

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There you go. As I said, if you can take long walks in nature, walk or cycle to your favorite coffee shop or office, it is much better. But if you need a change of scenery, it is far too cold or hot to be outside and taking a hike is not an option, try working at a shopping mall. It might be very good for you. Guess where this post was written?